Extensible car-step.



1. H. LYLE. EXTENSIBLE CAR STEP.

APPLICAUOH FILED MAR. 1 3, |917.

Patented Oct. 9, 19W.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

NVENTOR ATTO R N EY v WITNEssEs T. H. LYLE.

'ExTENslBLE CAR STEP. APPLICATION HLED HAR.13, 1917.

Lm. Patented 00m. 9,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY ira serien EXTENSIBLE can-sinne Specification of Letters Patent.

Y Patented ooe. e, reir.

Application fl'ei` March 13, T917. Se1a1'No.` 154,544.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.' p

Be it known that 1, THOMASV H. LYL'E, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residingat Duluth.7 in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful improvements in Extensible yCar-Steps, of which the following is a specification.

rllhis invention relates to improvements in extensible car steps of that type adapted to be retracted out of operative position 'while the car is in motioin rPhe primary object of Jche invention is the provision of a device of the above stated character, which may be used in conjunction with the usual stationary steps7 in order that an additional step may be provided whenever necessary, to facilitate the descent of passengers from the platform of aicar7 and the ascent of passengers to such' platform.

It is also my purposeto provide an eX- tensible car ste@ wherein the steps will be normally held in elevated or inactive posi tion against the bottom of the lower step of a set of stationary steps, and means for locking the said extensionstep in raised or elevated position. f

With the above andfother objects in view.y the invention consists in the novel features,

details of construction,v 'and combination of parts, which willy hereinafter be more vfully set forth, illustrated in the accompanyingv drawing7 and pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car platform provided with my improvement;y

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view; j y f' Fig. Srepresents a sectional view through the steps showing the extension stepvcon-y nected therewith inlowered position Fig. 4; is a similar view toFig. 3, showing thee/Xtension step in raisedpo'sition Fig. 5 is a detailview ofthe operating crank illustrating the same in locked posi tion; andv Fig. 6 is a detail view of the pitnian 'connectedl with the gearing, and illustrating the pitman associated therewith in araised position.` v I Referring morel` particularly 'to the ac'- companyingdrawings, in which like characters of referencer refer to corresponding parts in the several views, 5 denotestherear platform of a railway car and @the set of stationary steps securedfto the-platform in any preferred manner, and the bottoin step thereof' carries `anf.extkfaishe ory foldable, oar

step 7. 1t is the object of this invention to provide improved Voperating means, wherein the-step will be normally'l'ield in elevated or inactive position against the bottom of the lowei'most stationary step, 'and which may be readily andr quickly lowei'edto an active position, whenever desired. lTo this end, use is made of a pair of hangers 8 arranged in parallelism one` to the oth'eig 'and each hanger comprising an upwardly and rearwardly inclined arm 9 and' ayb'ase plate 10, the said base plate 10 being formed on one ofthe terminal portions of the hanger, and is secured to the under portion of the lowermost stationary step 11, through the medium of fasteners 12.rl A broadened conne'cting` portion 13 connects the plate 10 with the Aarm 8 of the hanger, and has journaled therein a pairV of shafts 14 and '15, said shafts extending transversely of and beneath the set of stationary steps 6.

An operating rod 16 extends through the platform of the carand has'connec'ted at its upper end an operating crank 17, y This operating crank 'embodies archanneled arm 18 having pivotally connectedtherein a lockl ing dog 19. This locking dog is operated through the inediui'n ofthe thumb actuatingv pin 20. fihe tail 2 1r of the dog engages with a notch 22 formed in the lower end of the thumb pin 20 and .the head of the dog is adjustably retained in the notches 23 of the cap plate 23a through' the medium of the retractile spring 24. This spring encircles the thumb actuating pin 2O,A and islocated. Y The lower' end ofv the rod 16 protrudes through the platform` within the Yhand grip 25.

5, as previously stated, and carries a beveled gear 26 meshing with the beveled gear 27, the ylatter mentioned gear being mounted upon the transverse shaft'QS and is operated through the gearing 26. l

The eXtens'ion step" is pivotally` connected to the hanger 8 through the medium of a riser,l

comprising a pair of forward links 29 and a yend thereof. `These channeledarms 32 are ting of the rear links 30 being pivotally connected therewith at their lowermost terminals, as indicated by thel character 33. rIhe upper ends of the latter mentioned links are Xedly secured to the extremities ofthe shaft 14. A pitman 34 is eccentrically connected with thebeveled gear 27 at one end, and is pivotally connected, as indicated by the character 35, to the inner face of the I. pairs of links 30. The pitman rod 34 is sus pended from the hangers 8, and has pivotal connection therewith through the medium of Vthe link 36.

Q Itl will, therefore, be seen thatbyimparting movementto the rod 16 will vcause a re-` ciprocation of the pitman rod 34 which in turn will swing 4the extension step in elevated or inactive positionand position the same against the plate 10 of the hangers 8.` This movement of the rpitman will in turn impart movement to the pinions 37 and 38 in the direction indicated by the arrow, and. oscillate the curved dog 39in a direction toward the extension step 7, and force the same in contact therewith. When this dog 39 has been swung to contact with the extension step 7, such step will be locked in elevated or hoisted position, and'prevent anyv accidental descent of the step when the car is in motion. The said locking dog 39 is fastenedon the shaft 15 by a set screw 40. In

order to permit of the pitman 34 clearingV the shaft 28 when the step 7 is operated, I provide the pitman Vrod 34 witha notcht4l opening` out through ther-bottom longitudinal edge thereof. f

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

the advantagesV of construction and of the method of operation will be readily appardesire to have it understood that the device` shownis'merely illustrative, and that such advantages may be made when desiredr as are within thescope of the claims appended thereto.

l. In combination with the fixed steps of a railway car,ra hanger'including a con- Anectingportion secured to said steps, an eX-` tension step supported by said hanger, and

means for operating said extension, said means comprising a pair of shafts ]ournaled 1n the connecting portion .of said-hanger, a

zpinion on eachy of said shafts and meshing with one another, manually' controlled means for imparting movement to said shafts, and

a locking dog having a curved freeeXtremity mounted upon one of said shafts and operable simultaneously with the folding operation of said extension step, the-curved eX- tremity of said dog engaging with the boting the latter in folded position.

2. In combination with thefi'Xed steps of a railway car, a hanger including a broadened connecting portion, and a base plate, an eXtensionv step yhaving channeled arms, links pivotally ,connected with the basey plate and the channeled arms, a. pair of sliaftsj ournaled in the connecting portion of said-hanger arm,

, a second pair of links carried byy one of said shafts and having pivotal connection with `tom surface ofthe extension step for retaiir said channeled arm,a pinion on eachof said i shafts adapted to Vmesh with one another, manually Vcontrolled means for imparting movement to said shafts including a vertically disposed rod, a beveled gear on the lower end of said rod,a second beveled gear adapted to mesh rwith the latter mentioned gear, a pitman eccentrically connected with the latter mentioned beveled gear and havv ing pivotal connection with the latter mentioned links, and means carried by the other of said shafts for locking the extension steps in an elevated position.

3. In combinationwith the fiXed'steps of a railway car, a hanger including a connecting portion secured to said steps, aneXtension step supported by said hanger, means for operating said extension step including a pitman,"m`eansjfor supportingl the pitinan on said hanger, andmeans supported bythe connecting portion of` the hanger and operable.simultaneously upon the operation of the pitman in step .closing positionA for locking the extension step in closed posi tion'.VV Y, n J I 4. Incombination with the fixed steps-of a railway car, an extension step, meansfor operating said extension step, -said` means comprising'a vertically disposed rod, a con-,l

trolling handle connectedwith the upper end of said rod,`means for lockingthe controlling handle in ,adjusted position, a vbeveled gearon the lower end of said rod adapted to mesh with a second beveled gear, a step riser including a pair of rear links, and a'pitman' eccentricallyv connected with the last `inentioned beveled gear and pivotally connecte Copiesof this patent may beV` obtained for4 five-cents each, byaddressng thefCoinniisysioner of gatents, v

' Washington, D. C. f n 

